Crime & Safety

Maine West Student Killed on I-90 Remembered for Getting Along with Everybody

Des Plaines teen played volleyball, participated in leadership program.

Students, faculty and administrators at Maine West High School are dealing with the tragic news that a Maine West student was killed this morning on Interstate 90 and Elmhurst Road at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday.

According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, the manner of death of Scott Wolf, 17, of Des Plaines, was suicide, and the causes were multiple injuries and motor vehicle striking a pedestrian.

Earlier:

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“Whenever there’s a student death that’s devastating for high school students and staff alike,” said David Beery, spokesman for District 207. “In the case of Scott, he was a very popular and well-known student, so it’s very difficult for everyone.”

Wolf, a junior, and the third in his family to attend the Des Plaines high school, played on the varsity volleyball team since he was a freshman, Beery said. He also participated in a physical education leadership program in which students assume leadership roles and responsibilities during classes, took accelerated courses and was in the top 10 percent of his class academically, he added.

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“The teachers and administrators who knew him well point out he was friends with students of all ages, from freshmen to seniors; he got along with everybody,” Beery said.

Counselors have been made available to students and faculty, Beery said. , like other high schools in the district, has a staff of social workers, psychologists and guidance counselors. Many are trained in crisis counseling and grief counseling.


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